This Pulitzer Prize–winning novel tells the story of Laurel McKelva Hand, a young woman who has left the South and returns, years later, to New Orleans, where her father is dying. After his death, she and her silly young stepmother go back still farther, to the small Mississippi town where she grew up. Along in the old house, Laurel finally comes to an understanding of the past, herself, and her parents.
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"What I love about Eudora Welty is that she writes about ordinary, flawed people with ordinary lives that some might even see as boring, and makes them very, very, very beautiful. She has the same sense of detail and of the majesty and sanctity of everyday things that I admire in some of the photography I like - fitting, since Eudora Welty often likes to capture, almost like a snapshot, the events of a few days. Her writing always seems to be cloaked in golden late-afternoon sunlight to me, even when her characters ride on sleeper trains or in taxis late at night. Who else could have me sitting on the subway with tears running down my face?" — Jaclyn (4 out of 5 stars)
"What I love about Eudora Welty is that she writes about ordinary, flawed people with ordinary lives that some might even see as boring, and makes them very, very, very beautiful. She has the same sense of detail and of the majesty and sanctity of everyday things that I admire in some of the photography I like - fitting, since Eudora Welty often likes to capture, almost like a snapshot, the events of a few days. Her writing always seems to be cloaked in golden late-afternoon sunlight to me, even when her characters ride on sleeper trains or in taxis late at night. Who else could have me sitting on the subway with tears running down my face?"
" This book is terrible. Very disjointed, characters didn't make sense, their reactions were weird and not enough was explained. Must be one of those books you study in English class, although I wouldn't waste my time. "
" I thoroughly enjoyed this book.... i was in a yarn store, when the knitting ladies around a table pulled it out and started reading it outloud. So good, i really love EWelty. "
" Thanks Ang it was a good read. "
" I read this book for my book club. Beautifully written. Why do I only have 3 stars? The main character irritated me. I very bad reason for being giving a book 3 stars. "
" I hate Fay and I wanted Laurel to whack her in the head with the bread board. I obviously liked this enough to finish it and I might give one more Welty novel a try, but not my favorite! "
" A beautiful little book about grief and memories. Welty is such a good writer, and every sentence is so obviously well crafted. There is so much feeling packed into this, but I was in the mood for something more gripping, so my heart wasn't in it. I'd probably revisit during a tragic time? "
" Vivid and sparse--an awesome combo, exquisite prose. Themes include: place/displacement, the south, city/country, women, autonomy. "
" Good book. Interesting family dynamics told in an unorthodox way. Really, a tale of reflection on family, lives lived and gone, and the past staying in the past. "
" This novel of a house and a family in the south is by turns funny, touching and sad. Welty's descriptions of the women and the house are so vivid. "
" In the beginning, the direct style and 3D characters drew me in. I became impatient towards the middle but then at the end, the book just took flight and let go into something so beautiful. A quick read and a worthwhile read. "
" An ok read, a pretty tragic story, this poor woman's life is filled with death. A contemplative look back at her life and her parents' love, all set in Mississippi and Louisiana. Welty is a great story teller. "
" A minimalist work of absolute genius. "
" Was reading this and loving it! What a story! My Mom borrowed it and so I'm stalled out half way through . . . just as she was getting home for the first time. Definitely want to finish it when my Mom brings it back. "
" Kind of pointless plot, but well written "
" One of the worst books ever. "
" My first inroduction to Ms. Welty. Really a little abstract and disoragnized. I got the allegory ( at least how I interpreted it ) but I thought many unnecessary passages were written. "
" I loved her writing style and putting myself in New Orleans. "
" Really, really loved this book. "
" I really like Welty but this one I didn't care for too much. "
" I'm so glad Eudora Welty wrote books; I can't imagine a world without her voice in it. Such a wonderful book - the perfectly right one at the right time. "
" I did not enjoy this book much. I mostly just hope that if my mom dies my father will remarry a woman his own age and not some "young thing" who will make life awful for everyone. I really don't know what exactly to say about this one. It was pretty ho-hum for me. "
" Bad behavior in Mississippi. Characters not well-developed. Enjoyable but frustrating -- if a 2 and 1/2 rating existed I'd have given it that, perhaps, but this was pretty slight, imo. "
" Yet another well-written Pulitzer about death. "
" Three stars, but it's a fond three. "
" I honestly didn't like this book. I didn't like the writing style and found the story hard to get into. It didn't seem like there was much of a story and, in the end, I really didn't care what happened to the characters. "
" This book was a struggle to get through. The only reason I didn't ditch after page on is that it was a book club selection and I felt obligated. The characters were under-developed for a book with a minimal story line. I just didn't get it. "
" I really wish Laurel would have clocked Fay with the breadboard. Ha! "
" I read this emotional book many years ago. Welty captures family loyalty and loss as she portrays Laurel's struggles in dealing with the death of her father and her conflict with his second wife. "
Eudora Welty (1909–2001) is an author whose many short stories and novels include The Optimist’s Daughter, winner of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Fiction. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Order of the South, and the National Book Award, among many other literary awards. She was also the first living author to have her works published by the Library of America.
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